A Close Reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

It is suggested to a reader of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" almost immediately that the journey that Young Goodman Brown is about to embark upon might in fact be through his dream. His journey must take place overnight, and he says of his wife, Faith, that "she talks of dreams too." (Hawthorne, 294) Foreshadowing instantly alerts us that the tale will not end well, when Brown tells Faith that if she says her prayers and goes to bed at dusk no harm will come to her (293); the reader instantly senses that it cannot possibly be that simple. Just before Brown issues that advice to his wife, she is wishing him well and that he may "find all well" (293) upon his return.

Faith is "aptly named," (293) as Hawthorne writes when he first introduces her. In fact, Faith as Brown's wife is likely an indicator that the tale is in fact an allegory. As Brown is headed out on his journey, he says that she is "a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven." (294) It is, of course, the goal of all Christians to cling to their faith to earn their way into heaven. Again, when Brown first encounters his fellow traveler, who inquired as to why he was late, he replies "Faith kept me back awhile." (294) Throughout the remainder of the text, when Brown references Faith, the term is nearly always interchangeable; he could either be speaking of his wife, or his religious faith. As he stops along the way, having seen Goody Cloyse walking on the path ahead of him, he asks, "I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?" (297) The journey continues and Brown is confronted with the presence of so many other people he knows, and finally with the voice of his wife, upon which he cries, "My Faith is gone!"